Just another day at the office! James Spader is dapper in three piece suit and fedora as he films new series of The Blacklist

He plays a former fugitive from justice-turned FBI collaborator in NBC drama The Blacklist.

But James Spader looked a far cry from a criminal mastermind on Thursday as he shot the show dressed in a beige three piece suit, matching hat and smart black spotted tie.

The 54-year-old actor may have got a little warm under the warm Coney Island Brooklyn sun and was spotted getting his face re-powdered in a break from filming.

So dapper: James Spader strolls around the Brooklyn set of The Blacklist in New York City on Thursday looking smart in a three piece suit and straw hat

Spader, who plays Raymond 'Red' Reddington on the show, was also spotted enjoying a sneaky cigarette in a break from filming.

However, he later changed into a cooler outfit of white shirt and dark trousers, taking a rest on a nearby bench.

The series began last year with Red's surrender to the FBI. He was able to keep his freedom in exchange for helping them catch criminals, revealing he has a 'Blacklist' of global bad guys he believes are a danger to society.

The heat is on: A make-up artist applied power as the actor sweated under the hot New York sun

Beside the seaside: The actor was shooting next to Nathan's Hot Dogs on the boardwalk on Coney Island

'The show is this strange amalgamation of a serial and a procedural,' he recently told Playboy. 'But if you watch it every week, if you care to stay
with it this season, there’s also a much larger mythology to it. It has
become something else.

'People will see this season is different
because we’re able to play with things that make a better show, like
story and character,' he added. 'We’re not building a
foundation anymore, which is what we spent last year doing. There are a
lot of changes.'

And Spader is adamant that the true nature of his occasionally sinister character is drip fed to the audience rather than revealed all at once.

Touching up make-up: The star relaxed in the sun in a break from filming

Take a pew: The star later swapped his smart attire for a white shirt and black trousers

'I believe with all
my heart that the best way to ruin this character is to tell too much
about who and what he is,' he said. 'Part of that is a mystery. Just when you think
you’re getting comfortable, do not get comfortable. Just when you think
you have him figured out and you know what the boundaries and safe
places are, you’re not safe. It’s never safe.

'The character is a funny,
weird mix of things. He seems like someone who’d be tremendous to spend
time with - great fun, compelling and so on - but be careful. I would be.'

In the break between the first and second Blacklist seasons, the star shot the Avengers sequel in London where he is playing crazed criminal robot Ultron. The film will be released next May.

'By the
end of the season, I was tired, tired, tired,' said James. ' Just weeks after we
finished, I started working on Avengers: Age of Ultron, and I must say I
got rejuvenated. I also found that I missed my Blacklist character a
lot.'

Sneaky smoke: The actor held a cigarette and a bottle of water as he mingled with holidaymakers during filming

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James Spader in dapper suit and fedora as he films new series of The Blacklist